Impi Yokulwa Nokugula Nokufa—Ingabe Iyanqotshwa?

UKUGULA kuzobe kungasekho, ukufa kuzobe kungasekho! Kubantu abaningi lokhu kungase kuzwakale kuyisifiso nje senhliziyo. Nokho, njengoba udokotela wezokwelapha nonguprofesa wesayensi ephathelene namabacterium uWade W. Oliver abhala: “Kusukela emlandweni wasekuqaleni impela obhalwe phansi, izifo ziye zasishintsha kakhulu isiphetho sesintu . . . Imiqedazwe emikhulu iye yahlasela umuntu ngesivinini esisabekayo . . . Ukugula kuye kwazilandela ngaso sonke isikhathi izinyathelo zakhe.”

Ingabe sikhona isizathu sokukholelwa ukuthi kuzokwenzeka ushintsho olukhulu? Ingabe isayensi yezokwelapha isizokuphelisa konke ukugula futhi mhlawumbe ngisho nokufa ngokwakho?

Ngokungangabazeki, odokotela nabacwaningi baye benza umsebenzi ophawulekayo ekulweni nezifo. Yini engenza umuntu onolwazi ahluleke ukubonga ngenxa yokwelashwa okuphumelelayo kwesifo sekholera, ekugcineni okwatholwa ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-19 leminyaka, noma ngokusungulwa komuthi wokugomela ingxibongo esabekayo? Lowomuthi wokugoma wenziwa ngo-1796 nguEdward Jenner ewenza ngento etholakala ezilondeni zengxibongo yezinkomo ezingeyona ingozi kangako. Ngo-1806, umongameli waseUnited States uThomas Jefferson wazwakalisa imizwa yabanye abaningi lapho ebhalela uJenner: “Umqondo wakho muhle kangangokuthi isintu asisoze sikhohlwe ukuthi wake waphila; izizwe ezizayo ziyokwazi ngomlando kuphela ukuthi kwakukhona ingxibongo enyanyekayo.”

Ngaphezu kwalokho, impumelelo yokucwaninga kwezokwelapha ngokuqondene nezifo ezinjengesifo somphimbo novendle nayo kumelwe inconywe futhi ibongwe. Futhi bambalwa abantu namuhla abangayincomi intuthuko yamuva nje ekwelapheni isifo senhliziyo nomdlavuza. Nokho, abantu basaqhubeka bebulawa isifo senhliziyo nomdlavuza. Umgomo wokuphelisa zonke izifo nokugula uye wabonakala ungafinyeleleki.

Izifo “Ezintsha”

Ngokuphambene, enkathini yanamuhla okuye kwafika kuyo ukuhlola kweCAT nokuhlinza okwakha kabusha izingxenye zomzimba, kuye kwaba futhi nokuqala kwesivuno sezifo “ezintsha,” ezinjengeLegionnaires disease, itoxic shock syndrome, kanye nombulali omenyezelwe kakhulu emphakathini obizwa ngokuthi ingculaza.

Kuyavunywa, abaningi babuza ukuthi zintsha kangakanani ngempela lezifo. Isihloko esikuyiU.S.News & World Report siphawula ukuthi, kwezinye izimo, izifo ebezilokhu zikhona isikhathi eside ziye zahlolisiswa kahle futhi zanikezwa amagama amasha. Ngokwesibonelo, iLegionnaires disease, yatholwa okokuqala ngo-1976, kodwa kungenzeka ukuthi ngaphambili yayingahlolwanga ngokunembile yase ibizwa ngokuthi ipneumonia ebangelwa amagciwane. Ngokufanayo, itoxic shock syndrome kungenzeka ukuthi ngaphambili yayididaniswe nescarlet fever (imfiva eyenza isikhumba sibe bomvu).

Nokho, izifo eziningi zibonakala zizintsha ngokungenakungatshazwa. Ingculaza ngokungangabazeki iyisifo esaziwa kakhulu kulezi. Lesifo esikhubazayo nesibulalayo satholwa okokuqala futhi saqanjwa ngo-1981. Esinye isifo “esisha” esingadumile kangako ipurpuric fever (imfiva eyenza isikhumba sibe luhlaza) yaseBrazil. Yatholwa eBrazil ngo-1984 futhi izinga layo lokubulala lilinganiselwa kumaphesenti angu-50.

Akubonakali Kunekhambi

Ngakho, naphezu kwemizamo emikhulu yomuntu, ikhambi eligcwele nelihlala njalo lezifo zomuntu alibonakali ndawo. Kuyiqiniso ukuthi isilinganiso sesikhathi sokuphila kwabantu siye sanda cishe ngeminyaka engu-25 kusukela ngonyaka ka-1900. Kodwa lolushintsho ngokuyinhloko lubangelwe amasu ezokwelapha aye ehlisa ingozi yokufa komuntu esewusana noma umntwana. Ngokuyisisekelo isikhathi sokuphila komuntu silokhu simi cishe ‘eminyakeni engamashumi ayisithupha neshumi’ engokweBhayibheli.—IHubo 90:10, King James Version.

Ngakho kwaba undab’ uzekwayo lapho uAnna Williams efa ngoDecember 1987 eneminyaka engu-114. Ephawula ngokufa kukaNksz. Williams, umhleli wabhala: “Ososayensi bacabanga ukuthi iminyaka engu-115 kuya ku-120 ngokunokwenzeka iyizinga lokugcina lobude besikhathi sokuphila komuntu. Kodwa kungani kufanele kube kanjalo? Kungani umzimba womuntu kufanele ufadalale ngemva kweminyaka engu-70, 80, noma ngisho engu-115?”

Ngawo-1960, ososayensi bezokwelapha bathola ukuthi amangqamuzana omuntu abonakala enekhono lokuhlukana izikhathi ezicishe zibe ngu-50 kuphela. Lapho sekufinyelele kulelizinga, kusobala ukuthi akukho okungenziwa ukuze kugcinwe amangqamuzana ephila. Lokhu kuthambekela ekuphikisaneni nombono wasekuqaleni ongokwesayensi wokuthi amangqamuzana omuntu angahlala ekhona ngokungenasiphelo uma engaphansi kwezimo ezifanele.

Lokho kuhlanganise nokuqaphela ukuthi ukuhlupheka okuningi komuntu kubangelwa umuntu ngokwakhe. Njengoba omunye umcwaningi aphetha ngokunengqondo: “Izifo azizange zinqotshwe ngamakhambi atholakala ngokucwaningwa kwezinto eziphilayo kuphela. Umlando wezifo uhlangene ngokuseduze nezici ezingokwenhlalo nezingokokuziphatha.”

INhlangano Yezwe Yezempilo yaphawula: “Siye sazilimaza ngokwethu, ngethemba lokuthi isayensi, odokotela nezibhedlela kuzothola ikhambi, esikhundleni sokuqala ngokuvimbela zona kanye izimbangela zokugula. Yebo siyazidinga izindawo zokunakekela kwezokwelapha ezikusindisa ngempela ukuphila, kodwa masihlale sazi ukuthi azinezeli lutho ‘empilweni’ yethu—zivimbela ukuba sife. . . . Isifiso esiphikelelayo esibhubhisa umniniso somuntu obhemayo nophuzayo, imiphumela eba sengqondweni nasemzimbeni ngenxa yokungabikho komsebenzi—lezi ngezinye ‘zezifo ezintsha.’ Kungani sivumela ‘umqedazwe wezingozi zomgwaqo,’ osiphanga ukuphila futhi obhuqa imithombo yethu yemali?”

Ngakho sisakhungethwe izifo, ukugula, ukuhlupheka, nokufa. Nokho, sinesizathu sokubheka phambili ngokuqiniseka esikhathini lapho ukugula nokufa kuzobe kungasekho khona. Okungcono nakakhulu ukuthi, kunezizathu eziningi zokukholelwa ukuthi lesosikhathi siseduze.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 4]

‘IZIFO ZASEGIBITHE’

Ukuthi abantu baye balwa nokugula kusukela ezikhathini zakuqala kwaba-nhlanga zimuka nomoya kuphawulwe ngisho naseBhayibhelini. Ngokwesibonelo, uMose ngokuthakazelisayo wabhekisela ‘ezifweni ezimbi zaseGibithe.’—Duteronomi 7:15.

Ngokusobala lezi zazihlanganisa ielephantiasis (isifo sokuvuvukala kwezinyawo), isihudo, ingxibongo, ubici lwesifo sezimbilaphu, nesifo sokusha kwenhlamvu yeso. Abantu bakaMose baphepha ezifweni ezinjalo ikakhulukazi ngenxa yemikhuba ethuthukile yenhlanzeko ababeyibekelwe isivumelwano soMthetho.

Nokho, ukuhlolisiswa kwezidumbu ezigcinwa ngemithi zaseGibithe kuye kwabangela ukutholwa kwenqwaba yezinye ‘izifo zaseGibithe.’ Lezi zazihlanganisa isifo sokuqaqamba kwamalungu, isifo sokusha komhlandla, izifo zamazinyo nemihlathi, isifo seappendix nesifo sokuvuvukala kwamalungu. Umbhalo wezwe wezokwelapha wakuqala, owaziwa ngokuthi iEbers Papyrus, ubala ngisho nezifo ezinjengesifo samaqhubu, ubuhlungu besisu nesibindi, isifo sikashukela, uchoko, isifo sokusha kolwebu lweso nesifo sokungezwa.

Odokotela baseGibithe basendulo benza konke ababengakwenza ukuze balwe nalezifo, abanye beba izingcweti emikhakheni yabo yezokwelapha. Isazi-mlando esingumGreki uHerodotus sabhala: “Izwe [iGibithe] ligcwele odokotela; omunye welapha izifo zamehlo kuphela, omunye ezekhanda, amazinyo, isisu, noma izitho zangaphakathi.” Nokho, “ukwelapha” okuningi kwaseGibithe empeleni kwakuwukwelapha-mbumbulu okungokwenkolo futhi kuqhele kakhulu kokungokwesayensi.

Odokotela besimanje baye bajabulela impumelelo enkudlwana ekulweni kwabo nezifo. Nokho, umcwaningi wezokwelapha uJessie Dobson wenza lesiphetho esishukumisa ingqondo: “Khona-ke, yini engafundwa ekuhloleni izifo zesikhathi esidlule? Isiphetho esivamile ekuhloleni ubufakazi sibonakala siwukuthi izifo nezinhlungu zesikhathi sakudala kakhulu azihluki ngokuphawulekayo kulezo zesikhathi samanje . . . Ngokusobala onke amakhono nemizamo yokuhlola ngesineke kuye kwenza okuncane kakhulu ekupheliseni izifo.”—Disease in Ancient Man.